Disinfection Efficacy of a New Endoscope Reprocessing System Using Electrolyzed Acid Water: An In-Use Evaluation / 감염

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Electrolyzed acid water (EAW) is a new liquid chemical germicide containing a mixture of oxidizing species and prepared by mixing a small amount of salt with tap water in an electrolyzer. We attempted an in-use evaluation of the high-level disinfection capability of Cleantop WM-1 , a new endoscope reprocessing system using EAW. METHODS: Forty-seven flexible endoscopes were randomly collected just after upper endoscopic examinations and were disinfected using Cleantop WM-1 . Parts of the endoscopes without contact to EAW were disinfected with 75% ethyl alcohol. Immediately after the disinfection procedure, samples were taken from the biopsy channel (S-1), tip of the insertion tube (S- 2), the umbilical cord (S-3), and the angulation knob (S-4). RESULTS: In EAW-disinfected parts of the endoscopes, the culture-positive rates were 4.3% (2/47) in S-1 samples and 12.8% (6/47) in S-2 samples. In ethyl alcohol-disinfected area, the culture-positive rates were 2.1% (1/47) in S-3 samples and 25.5% (12/47) in S-4 samples. The colony counts of culture-positive samples ranged from 1 to 144. Pseudomonas aeruginasa was recovered from the angulation knob of an endoscope, but other contaminating organisms were mostly normal flora or opportunistic pathogens. CONCLUSOIN Although parts of the endoscopes disinfected with 75% ethyl alcohol were contaminated with more organisms than EAW-disinfected areas, Cleantop WM-1 showed a relatively good disinfection efficacy in reprocessing patient-used endoscopes.